Guardian of the Sea
by Shadow Serenity 57
Summary: I'm just a girl from Sunburst Island who longs for an adventure. Luckily, the Orange Islands have their share of action, mysteries, and gorgeous beach weather! With Cissy's blessing, and my unorthodox starter at my side, I'm ready for whatever these waters have in store for me, including... wait, you want ME to be the Festival Maiden? And do WHAT about the giant silver bird? OC's.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

When one thinks of entering the Pokémon League, the last thing on anybody's mind is the Orange League. Nope, it's all about Kanto, or Hoenn, or Unova, or what have you. But not me. No, for me, a tiny girl from Sunburst Island, being a champion of the Orange League has been my childhood dream. I was only five when I witnessed the battle that filled me with awe so intense that sparked my desire to become a trainer myself. To this day, I have never experienced a more captivating battle – and let me tell you, I've had more than my fair share of interesting battles.

I'll never forget that day... Yep, here comes a flashback. Mom had taken me to Pummelo Stadium directly rather than watching the battle on cable as an early gift for my birthday that year (which, much to my dismay one year later, I discovered counted for that birthday as well). The champion and my celebrity crush both then and now, Drake, had previously been undefeated. Most trainers never got passed his Ditto, who he favored as his traditional opener. Those who did often didn't get very far beyond his second or third. It was unusual for anyone to push Drake hard enough to send in a fifth Pokémon, and absolutely exceptional for him to have to send in his final Pokémon, and his strongest: Dragonite.

But that day, Drake just seemed destined to lose from the beginning. His challenger was some boy from Pallet Town in Kanto. The only reason I even remember his name – Ash, as it were – is because he was, and remains to this day, the only person to ever have defeated Drake during his time as Orange League champion. I refused to accept it then, and even now I hate to admit it, but the boy was good. Drake's first two Pokémon, Ditto and Onix, went down hard, albeit not without a fight. His third, Gengar, went down as well, though this time Ash's Pokémon, a Lapras, went down with it. Put simply, I was astounded. Hell, I don't think anyone in the stadium that day wasn't. Not only had Drake lost three Pokémon in a row, he had only taken down one of his opponents'. As far as I know, no one had ever pushed Drake into a corner that early into a match. And it only got worse.

After the intermission, Drake sent in his trusty Venusaur. And, wouldn't you know it, it went down too, this time to Ash's rested Tauros, who failed to defeat Gengar earlier and had been recalled rather than beaten. Drake finally had a stroke of luck with his fifth Pokémon, Electabuzz. It made quick work of Ash's Bulbasaur, only to be knocked out by Ash's powerhouse, a Charizard. At this point, I cried. I cried a lot. And with good reason, too (or so I thought at the time)! Drake was down to one Pokémon, while Ash still had four (granted, none of them were in the best shape, but at five years old, the numbers were all that registered to me).

Dragonite didn't disappoint, though, taking down not only Charizard, but also Ash's Tauros and Squirtle. Finally, the battle was turning back in Drake's favor. I don't exactly remember the details of what happened next, but after some odd incident that involved some people in a giant Meowth-shaped hot air balloon throwing a net over Dragonite, there was only one obstacle in Drake's way… Ash's Pikachu. And what a marvelous battle it was… until Dragonite, exhausted by the strain of fighting four powerful opponents who refused to go down without a fight, collapsed. With that, Ash became the only challenger to defeat Drake. Needless to say, that was probably my worst birthday ever. I wanted nothing to do with Pokémon, if it meant Drake had to lose, though that didn't stop him from being my idol. That mindset didn't last longer than a day. Oh, the mind of a child is such a fascinating thing…

It wasn't until five years later that a ten-year-old little girl named Rhonda (me, by the way) happened to be cleaning out her bedroom in preparation for a move to a new home and discovered an old (and I mean old) video tape of this battle that mother had recorded when it aired on a re-run who knows how long before. Naturally, I completely forgot about trying to clean and pack, and popped in the tape. Seeing that spectacular battle for a second time after all those years revived my desire to become a trainer, though in all honestly I couldn't even remember what had ever dulled that dream to begin with in those years between my first and second viewings of the battle.

Of course, with dad being off in Johto doing I could only imagine what, mom busy with work, and my sister, Chloe, off on her own journey – I think she was in Sinnoh at the time, but I digress – there really wasn't any way I could begin, short of running away from home… which I did try, by the way. Obviously I didn't get very far; Cissy, the gym leader of Mikan Island had seen me alone in a boat in the middle of the ocean, crying my eyes out, during one of her gym battle-slash-surfing contests, collected me, and returned me home. Not only did I get an unpleasant scolding from mom, but even now I feel guilty about causing Cissy to lose that match. That little mishap, however, is virtually the reason I am allowed to go out on my journey now.

Cissy had become something of a family friend after that. Naturally, mom had told her all about my love of Pokémon and my dream to enter the Orange League. Cissy had since allowed me to visit her gym and watch her battles and her training, and I even got to play with her Pokémon! Every weekend she would teach me the basics of being a trainer and would let me pick one of her Pokémon to play with, and we would have mock battles. I beat her more often than you would think… though now that I'm older, I suspect she let me win just about all of those.

Oh, I guess I should mention my own Pokémon, too. At some point during the years I spent playing and learning with Cissy, a lone Kabuto washed up on the shore. Or crawled there willingly, I'll never know. Nor do I know why, but the little thing became almost annoyingly attached to me while I was sunbathing on the beach. Literally. The little bugger clung to my back and refused to let me go. This happened for several days before I finally managed to steal – I mean, borrow, I still plan to pay her back – one of Cissy's empty pokéballs and captured the little brown shellfish. The little guy didn't even really resist. Since then, I just recalled him whenever he got a little too friendly, but by that point I found I wasn't bothered too much, since it was obvious he wasn't trying to suck my blood or steal my soul as I had originally thought.

Of course, mom wasn't happy. At first, she was really surprised to see Kabuto, at first because I had caught a Pokémon while under the legal training age, but more importantly because of the species – Kabuto were supposed to be extinct, with very few exceptions – those being fossils found and revived by legendary researchers like Professor Oak. Once she got over the shock, though, Cissy reminded mom of an incident a few years back that had a huge impact on the whole Orange Archipelago. Basically what it boils down to is a legend on a nearby, unnamed (meaning, deserted) island that was rumored to conceal a cave full of Kabuto fossils. Some investigators went there and disturbed them, thus bringing the legend into passing, reviving the fossilized Kabuto and sinking the island into the sea. Cissy's best guess was that this Kabuto must have been one of the ones revived during that event. I happily gave my new friend to Cissy to look after, as I had no real means to take care of the little guy. We became _really_ close after that, on those weekends when visited Cissy – again, literally. But now that I'm eighteen and able to fend for myself, I've jumped at the opportunity to finally go out on my own and follow my dream, despite my mom's feeble protests. I know deep down she's happy for me. I really think she's just going to miss me is all, which is probably my sister's fault for basically only ever communicating for Christmas or something.

Anyways, my birthday was a week ago. I took the extra time mostly so my mom could get over her shock at me suddenly declare I was leaving ASAP, though I spent most of it planning my adventure. My main goal was to simply wander and see the entire Orange Islands, hopefully collecting all four badges, including Cissy's, and then take on my childhood hero, Drake, myself. And today was the day it all started.

One of the things I loved about the island chain in which I lived, especially the southern islands, was the beach weather. The climate in the Orange Islands was extremely warm (well, in most places). To that end, I selected my clothes accordingly at the beginning of the day. I picked my cutest black bikini from my closet and pulled it on before throwing my favorite light pink tank top over my head, and also slid my favorite navy shorts over the bottom. I followed that up by shoving several similar bikinis, tank tops, and shorts, along with a few other necessities such as my phone, some money, seasickness pills, and several packages of mini Oreos into a small black bag that I could wear at my side, the strap over my opposite shoulder. After slipping on my flip-flops, I pulled my light brown hair back into a cute ponytail and tied it back with a dark green ribbon, given to me by my first boyfriend, Blake, on our one year. I'd never admit it to another living being, but though the excuse I gave for keeping this ribbon was that it matched my eyes, the real reason was that I never did quite get over him (well, okay, that's half true; the ribbon really did make my eyes stand out too and I do love it for that).

I wanted to leave right away, but naturally, mom wouldn't allow that. She spent over an hour crying, which naturally meant that dad and I had to spend that time comforting her. Not that I really mind, I suppose. I mean, I do love my mother. But let's face it, whether I went out to follow my dream or to go to college or simply because I'm eighteen now, I would eventually leave the nest anyway, just like every other teenager. We did eventually get her to calm down, though as I was saying my final good-byes outside, she suddenly had a change of heart and decided to accompany me to Cissy's gym, the first stop on my Grand Adventure, where I would pick up Kabuto and thank Cissy for her help before heading off to Tangelo Island off to the southwest. I grudgingly agreed to let her come, mostly because if she didn't, our boat would be stranded at Mikan Island.

The trip to the island was not long, and eventually mother conceded her defeat, said her final good-bye, and began the sail back home. I vaguely wondered why she changed her mind about coming to the gym with me, but I didn't dwell on the question for too long because I was already too busy missing her. And I'm not going to lie, once her back was turned, it was hard for me to keep from crying myself as I stood there watching her sail away, waving to her back. I whispered one last "I love you" before turning around and finally making my way to Cissy's gym. My head was full of thoughts of Kabuto, and our soon to be Grand Adventure, from then on; that is, until I fell into a rather deep hole in the path, screaming like a banshee all the way to the bottom, where I slammed head-first into the ground and blacked out, knowing in that split second beforehand exactly who to blame… and vowing that before I left, Senta would get what was coming to him.

* * *

**A/N: As if I didn't have enough stories in-progress that I'm not working on, right? Oh well. I had inspiration for this about 6 hours ago, and the writing just flowed. We'll see how far this goes. I hope it's a long way, the Orange Islands don't get a fraction of the love they deserve.**


	2. Chapter 1 - Sister Cissy

**Chapter 1 - Sister Cissy**

The first thing I notice upon regaining consciousness is a tickling sensation at my nose. This is followed by the inevitable sneeze. What comes after that, though, I don't expect: an extreme, sharp pain that jolts through my entire body. "Uuggh…" I moan, trying to hold perfectly still so the pain will subside. However, whatever was tickling my nose was still there, and now that I am awake I can feel another sneeze coming. Very slowly, I raise my right arm – with slight difficulty, as I'm hindered by some sort of blanket covering my body – and pull the strand of hair away from my face…

…Except it wasn't hair. As soon as I pulled, I disturbed something wet that was resting on my forehead, causing it to slide down over my eyes. Not that I had opened them yet anyway, as I was quite looking forward to getting back to sleep, but I guess that isn't going to happen now. As I lift the object – it feels like a damp cloth, at best guess – off my face, a trickle of water slides down my cheek. I open my eyes and am momentarily startled to see a large crimson stain taking up most of the otherwise cream-colored cloth. Then I put two and two together as I start to remember falling into a hole and landing on my head. Horror returns again as I realize I must have been bleeding a lot worse than I would have thought, if the stain was this large…

I attempt to sit up to survey my surroundings, but this only sends another intolerable wave of pain through my spine and I collapse back into the surface my body is currently laying on with another groan. Thankfully, the surface is soft – it must be a bed. I find that I can turn my head, though, so that's what I do. I was right. I appear to be in someone's bedroom. At the far wall closest to the foot of the bed, I can see an open door that leads into a small closet. To my right, another door, one which I assume is the exit to the rest of the building. On the adjacent wall, rests a desk, a single chair pulled out where my bag currently resides. I also barely register that the floor is wood, with a small carpet in the middle of the room. And finally, to my left, there is nothing but the bed against the wall and a sole window; the sun is setting now, it must be getting well into the afternoon. Looking back up, I notice a fan in the ceiling spinning so fast that I'm suddenly terrified will fall on me.

Currently, I lay on the room's bed underneath a bright, sky blue blanket. Despite the fan, I can feel myself sweating a little. Gross. I reach up with my free arm and, after replacing the cloth on my forehead, I lightly press two fingers underneath it to my cut, then immediately jerk them back again as a sharp stinging pain burns me. My fingers come away red and dripping. I guess I just reopened my wound. Shoot.

With no other real course of action right now, I simply lay here, wondering just how bad I had injured myself. If my bleeding head and aching spine were any indication, pretty bad, I figure. Weird, because it didn't seem like that bad a fall. My stomach suddenly growls and I realize I'm hungry, and then wonder how long I've been passed out. A few hours at least, judging by the gorgeous sunset I can see from the window. Yet another reason why I love living here in the Islands: no huge trees or tall buildings to get in the way of the beautiful scenery. Well, at least not around here. Every night I would watch from my own backyard back on Sunburst Island an absolute perfect view of the golden sunset over the sparkling ocean.

As I move on from daydreaming of sunbathing on the beach and instead consider going for a midnight swim later tonight, my stomach decides to ruin my mood with its emptiness. I can't even reach over to my bag to fetch one of the Oreo packets inside. I lay silently for another good thirty seconds or so before growing bored and restless and change my mind. Very slowly, I force myself to sit up. My entire body throbs in protest, but I just can't stand lying motionless anymore, since it's clear that I'm not going to be able to get back to sleep. I lean over to pull my bag to me, but it's heavier than my bruised arm anticipates and the bag falls from my fingers, crashing to the floor with a dull thud. Of course, it had to land on the only breakable item inside, my phone. As I lean down to pick up the bag, my back screaming in agony, a door opens and I hear footsteps outside the room. The next thing I know, Cissy is standing there looking panicked. This must be her bedroom, then. The one room I'd never seen in my days here.

She was as beautiful as ever. Her outfit complimented her shining coffee brown eyes and short burgundy hair that was pulled back into three separate tiny ponytails in the back. She had on her favorite long rose-colored skirt and black tank top. I notice that her top is a lot less revealing than mine. I wonder what she thinks of that. Actually, nevermind, I don't want to know the answer to that.

"Hi," I choke out as I sit up straight again, my voice raspy. I clear my throat as Cissy relaxes.

"Oh, Rhonda, you're okay! I thought you just rolled off the bed or something." I raise my eyebrows, pondering how she could possibly mistake the sound of my small phone in a bag for a human body hitting the floor. I don't get the chance to ask though, as she poses her own question. "How do you feel? Your head is still bleeding…"

"My whole body aches," I admit. I lean down again, but then Cissy is there, retrieving my bag for me. I notice the bloody cloth on the floor and pick it up instead. I didn't even notice it had fallen off. That would explain how Cissy knew my wound had reopened.

"I'm sorry," Cissy says. "You fell into one of Senta's holes again, but this one had a rock at the bottom." Well, that explains why I felt so miserable. Oh yeah, Senta is Cissy's little brother. I don't know how old he is right now, young teens I think, but he still has the maturity of a seven-year-old. I've fallen into his traps many times before, but I've never actually been injured to the point of a broken body part or drawing blood. He's more of a practical joker than a bully or someone looking to actually hurt anyone. I suspect he just didn't know there was a rock at the bottom.

"I figured it was Senta," I reply. "Who else do you know who is that immature? How old is he now?"

Cissy ignores my jibe at her brother when she answers. "You were lucky he was waiting for you to show up, he was the one who pulled you out of the hole and carried you here."

I resist the urge to argue that I was in that hole because of him in the first place, instead saying "Well at least his physical strength made up for the mental standstill he's had since age five." Which was true. Or, at least, half true. I'm not a heavy girl by a long shot; I'm only slightly above average if anything, but the fact that he was able to lift me out of that hole on his own was pretty cool.

Cissy sets my bag down on the bed before gently pushing me back into a laying position. I open my mouth to protest, but her serious expression drains my will to resist. She snatches the cloth from my hand and dabs it gingerly against my bloody wound. I flinch more than once before my stomach grumbles once again, drawing out a furious blush on my cheeks. Cissy's face lightens into a soft smile. "Hungry, are we?"

"No," I reply. "I always make that noise when I bleed." Cissy frowns at my awful excuse of a joke. Okay, it _was_ pretty stupid. "Sorry," I whisper.

"And you worry about Senta growing up," Cissy scolds, though she is smiling and her tone is soft. "Inside that charming eighteen year old body beats the heart of a child." I know she intends it as a compliment, but I slip up for a moment and I'm almost sure she notices the disappointment on my face before I recover. "I'll go make you some food. Any preferences?"

"I can walk," I counter, a little more harshly than I intended. Ignoring the pleading from my muscles, I force myself to stand up. I take two steps and suddenly feel exceedingly lightheaded, and the room begins to spin around me. Or maybe I'm the one spinning, I can't tell. I manage to grasp the back of the chair which keeps me on my feet, although my legs are wobbling like jelly. "Give me a minute," I say.

"If you're going to be sick, you know where the bathroom is. 'Cause bloody head or not, you're going to be the one scrubbing the carpet." I try to laugh, but the second I open my mouth I feel my stomach churn, and dash out the door.

* * *

Thankfully, nothing happens after that. I collapse on the only soft surface in the room, Cissy's bathmat, just waiting to be sick, but it never actually comes. Cissy brings me a glass of water and some painkillers, and re-bandages my head before leaving to start some food for me. I want to chug the water, but force myself to sip at. Several minutes and half a glass of water later, I am able to stand and even walk well enough, the pain in my bones dulling a little bit.

As I stumble down the hallway I can smell whatever Cissy has cooking and resist the urges to both sprint and laugh at my own awful pun. Eventually I can see Cissy outside through a window, cooking something on a grill. As I step outside, I see Cissy's Blastoise, a blue-skinned, orange-shelled turtle, on a wave in the distance, enjoying one last surf before the sun goes down completely. Nearby, Cissy's Seadra floats just barely above the water, allowing the current to carry her. And then, on the beach, I just barely make out a dark brown spot in the sand thanks to the shine from the sun. I recognize the shell of my Kabuto immediately, and start to jog towards it. I catch Cissy's eye as I slip passed her and I vaguely hear her voice, probably scolding me for exerting energy in my injured state, but right now I just want to be reunited with my Pokémon for good.

I'm less than a few meters away when suddenly the sand under my feet shifts and I trip over a Krabby that has just surfaced. I barely have time to scream before I get a mouthful of beach sand for my effort. Somewhere behind me I can hear the Krabby shriek as it scampers away and pray it doesn't try to chop my leg off. …Okay, I'm a bit of a drama queen sometimes, I know. I know it wouldn't be that serious, but in the heat of the moment like this, my imagination is wild. I lift my head but the aches in my body have returned with my fall so I simply spit out the sand in my mouth and lay there and wait for them to subside enough to move. In record time, I feel a pressure on my back.

"Hey you," I say to Kabuto. The tiny brown shellfish responds with a clacking sound and presses his tiny yellow claws into my back. I have no idea what he just said to me. Actually, I don't even know if Kabuto are supposed to make that sound. Information on them is rather hard to dig up, with them supposedly being extinct and all. Thankfully, he seems just as happy to eat standard Pokémon food as any of Cissy's team, or I have no idea how we would feed the shellfish.

Unfortunately, having Kabuto clinging to my back made it extremely difficult to stand, nevermind the pain I was already feeling. And though I eventually succeed, the large mound of sand that had piled up in my shirt when I fell slides down the front of my tank top. I groan, knowing that I will continue to feel it on my skin until I shower. At least I should be able to do that tonight, since in my current condition the chances of me leaving Cissy's tonight are slim to none.

I walk slowly back to Cissy, constantly adjusting my now uncomfortable bikini top and making small talk with Kabuto, who's still clinging to my back as if his life depended on it, and replying with his usual clicking sounds. It makes me a little sad not understanding him. For all I know he's telling me to stuff it. I mean, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't even cross his mind, considering his behavior, but…

Cissy's cooked me some grilled grapefruit chicken for dinner. Nothing fancy, but one of my favorites, it's pretty much what you would think; Spiced and breaded chicken, cooked in grapefruit juice, oils, and honey. With extra grapefruit on the side, of course. And of course, the fruit comes from the Grapefruit Islands out east, best ones in the world, I swear. I share slices of the fruit with Kabuto. It's natural and he seems to really like it, so I don't think it will harm him. I don't let him swallow any chicken though. Not that I distrust Cissy's cooking (I wouldn't be eating it if I did) but who knows what they do to these before they're set out to be sold? Best to not feed Kabuto anything that either isn't natural or wasn't made specifically for Pokémon.

We make small talk over dinner. Cissy's really interested in my plans for my trip. I pull out my map as I tell her about my goals and my expected routes. I plan to take on all the gyms in the islands, starting in the southwest and heading east, moving counter-clockwise across the islands, skipping Pummelo Island, where I can battle Drake, so that I can return here to get Cissy's badge first, then looping back to the stadium. She seems a little hesitant when I mention that I want to stop at a spot to the very north on my map marked "New Island", but I disregard it and move on.

See, no one really knows how New Island got where it is. One day several years ago, before even the Kabuto Island incident, a routine airplane route reported the island's location in a place that previously was just open water. And it's not like it was in an area that used to be shrouded in fog or something, nope. It was wide open sea. The island just… appeared. Since then, several people have been there and it seems to be nothing but deserted land. Several people are what I like to call paranoid – people who think there's some evil or something on the island. But to aspiring adventurers like me, the island is just another mystery waiting to be cracked. Several trainers have already been there and reported nothing out of the ordinary other than the fact that the island exists, but my gut tells me there's _something_ hidden there somewhere. And it's my goal to find out what. Okay, well, _a_ goal. Man, I really should start making a list.

Cissy clearly isn't happy about my planned stop, according to her face when I brush off her concerns and finish telling her my route plan. I get the feeling it's just to spite me when she asks, "So how are you going to travel from island to island?"

The question startles me and I stop mid-chew to stare at her. Uh oh. I hadn't actually thought about that. I swallow my mouthful and answer: "Er… Oh, by the way, I need to borrow Blastoise for a few months." Cissy's expression doesn't change. Man, dealing with Senta's practical jokes for so long really made her a killjoy when she's unhappy. I guess it doesn't help that I'm a bit of a pain in the rear when it comes to jokes, too. "I don't know," I admit miserably, shrugging my shoulders. "I didn't think about it." Kabuto's gaze shifts from his grapefruit to me as I let my chicken crash onto my plate.

"Did you put _any_ thought into this at all? This isn't a game, Rhonda."

For some reason I'm reminded once again of when I first met Cissy. Must be because she sounds more like a parent right now than the big sister I've always taken her for. Well, okay, maybe not… I know she's just trying to look out for me, the way she looks after her little brother. Maybe that's why it stings so much to hear her lecture me. "Maybe Kabuto can ferry me…" I trail off as I look down at my Pokémon and know before I even finish that even the thought is absurd. Kabuto clicks again. I choose to believe he's trying to cheer me up instead of calling me an idiot.

"And you wonder why I worry about you," Cissy says. "You've been like a little sister to me for years."

"I can take care of myself," I cut her off, knowing full well that I've just basically proven otherwise.

"I know you can," Cissy says, much to my surprise. "But why should that mean I wouldn't worry about you?" I have no answer. We sit in silence (well, aside from Kabuto, who has already eaten half of what remained of my dinner; the little runt is still at it, but I've lost my appetite) for a few minutes, when Cissy asks me again. "So how are you going to get around?"

"I don't know," I repeat, playing with a loose thread at the end of my shorts. "I guess I'll have to buy myself a boat or something." I say halfheartedly; I know that's just as ridiculous as asking Kabuto to be my ferry. I can't even afford a surfboard, nevermind a boat.

Cissy sighs, but doesn't press the subject. As I try to think of some logical course of action, she throws me another curveball. "So, there's something else I wanted to discuss with you. About Kabuto."

"What about him?" I ask.

"I'm sorry I didn't mention this sooner. Honestly, it hadn't occurred to me. I was too blinded worrying about your safety. But Kabuto is in just as much, if not more, danger."

This startles me from my misery enough to stop staring down at my shorts and instead stare into Cissy's eyes. "Danger? What danger am I in? And what danger is Kabuto in?"

"None," Cissy corrects hastily. "At least, no immediate danger. But think about this for a minute. Kabuto are supposed to be extinct, or at the very least, extremely rare. And you have virtually no battle experience and no other Pokémon to protect you. That means Kabuto, and by extension, you, are always going to be at risk. There are countless people out there that wouldn't think twice about taking advantage of an inexperienced young girl and stealing her rare Pokémon."

At this point all emotion has pretty much gone down with the sun, so I brush off her concerns nonchalantly, with a wave of my hand. "Oh, is that all? I know how rare Kabuto are. But trust me; no one is going to take him away from me."

Again, Cissy sighs and then opens her mouth as though to lecture me further, but then smiles softly, shakes her head and stands up, collecting the leftover dishes.

Needless to say, that night my dreams were rich with I can't even count how many hypothetical situations in which Kabuto had been stolen and me left dead, bleeding, or drifting unconscious in the middle of the sea. Or worse.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there's chapter 1. Is it me or are my chapters wordy/long?**

**Feel like I might have gone overboard with Rhonda's aches, as I've never fallen into a hole and hit my head on a sharp rock... but I do know how I feel after my head is slammed into a wall, so I'm sort of going by that. **

**So... I wanted to get Cissy and Rhonda's relationship established, as well as a little Rhonda and Kabuto, so that's where we start. Next chapter will be Rhonda setting off. And yes, she does get more Pokemon.**

**For anyone curious, Senta was never named in the English anime dub (I even went and watched the episode to confirm that) so I'm sticking with his Japanese name here, but that's the only reason why.**

**As far as New Island goes... from what I remember of the first movie, Mewtwo wiped the memories of everyone involved (and I think returned Ash's gang's in Mewtwo Returns but that isn't relevant because Ash will not show up here, sorry), but on the map I'm using of the Orange Islands has New Island on there so I'm going with that. **

**I don't think there was anything else I had to say other than thanks to the people who are already reading and following this story. So... enjoy?**


	3. Chapter 2 - Totally Not Foreshadowing

**Chapter 2 - Totally Not Foreshadowing**

I wake the next morning feeling miserable; not because my body still aches, but because the whole conversation Cissy and I had over dinner last night is still buzzing around in my head. I cover my face with my pillow. I'm so down right now that I almost don't even want to leave. Then I remember I've been waiting for this day for years and remind myself that I really need to start working on my positivity. _I'll figure something out_, I tell myself. _I can do this, I can do this..._

I try to sit up and am rewarded with a prickly tingling sensation in my legs; I guess the aches are still there after all. It doesn't help that Cissy's couch isn't exactly long enough for me; my legs either had to kind of rest up on the arm or hang off the side, neither being very comfortable. The sun is only just rising outside. Not quite as beautiful as a sunset, but still kind of cool in its own right.

I sit on the couch for a moment as I allow my body to wake up a little. The house is eerily silent. It's not a weekend so Cissy's gym should be open soon, which means she should be up and about by now. Maybe she's waking and feeding her Pokémon; I decide to go check the indoor pool. I glance into each room I happen to pass by along the way, but they're all empty. The back door is open though, so I quietly push the sliding glass aside and step outside.

Judging by the position of the sun in the sky I would say it must be around eight, but the weather is already warming up greatly – just another reason I love these islands. The sand under my bare feet is already starting to burn a little bit as I walk the short distance to the pool room. The wall that leads into the ocean is, predictably, closed; after all, Cissy's Pokémon sleep in there and she doesn't like the idea of them getting out – or any wild Pokémon getting in. The door itself is unlocked, but as soon as I try to open it, I'm thrown back as someone on the other side slams it shut on me. Naturally, I trip over my own feet and fall on my rear in the sand.

"Give us a second!" I hear a voice call from beyond the door. Cissy's voice. She was up after all, then. I stand up and brush the sand from my pajamas absentmindedly. Less than a minute later, the door opens. No one's standing there, so I just walk inside.

"Surprise!" Cissy yells. I turn to my left to stare at her, my eyes still half asleep. I open my mouth to point out that it wasn't much of a surprise considering I'd known she was in here but I'm stopped when I notice another person in the room, standing behind Cissy. She looks unusual wearing a simple white shirt and jeans rather than her uniform, though her bubblegum pink hair is still back in her traditional double loops. I recognize her as the Nurse Joy who runs the Pokémon center back in town.

"Is Kabuto okay?" I ask almost involuntarily as the memory of Kabuto finishing my chicken last night shoots to the front of my mind.

"Kabuto is fine," Cissy replies, calmly gesturing to the pool with a wave of her hand. Kabuto is floating on the surface of the pool, staring up at me curiously. I notice Blastoise half sticking out of the pool behind him, also watching me with a hint of a smirk. Then, finally, Seadra, eyes closed and shaking her head, presumably at me. I can't help but notice they look oddly cramped, huddled together in the corner of the pool, in front of that large motorboat I never knew Cissy had.

I turn back to Cissy. "Okay, good, I thought maybe he got sick from my chicken or… something… what?" I demand, stomping my foot as Cissy sighs and hangs her head. Joy steps forward and puts a hand on Cissy's shoulder before addressing me.

"I heard you were going to challenge the Orange League," she says brightly.

"Yep," I reply, unsure what to say. I scratch the back of my head as I sheepishly ask, "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but why are you here?"

"The boat, Rhonda…" Cissy groans.

"The boat…?" I say blankly. Then something clicks in my mind. "Oh! The boat! You don't mean-"

"Yes, Rhonda, I do."

Cissy nearly topples into the pool as I lunge at her, squealing, and wrap my arms around her. "Oh Cissy, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Cissy puts her arms around me briefly, then grips my shoulders and pushes me off her. "Don't get too excited, now," she says. "I was able to pull a few strings with Joy here to get this boat for you. But! It's just a rental."

"A rental?" I ask.

"Yes. You are going to return it to the Pokémon Center as soon as you catch a Pokémon who can Surf. Understand?"

"I do," I nod.

"Good," Cissy smiles. "Alright, Rhonda. Let's hurry this up; I've got to go open the gym. Get out there and make me proud."

"I will," I smile back at her.

"Good luck, and please be safe!" Nurse Joy adds.

"Thanks, I will," I reply.

"You'd better," Cissy says. "Do you even have any idea how much I'm going to be worrying about you?"

I want to say _You don't have to worry about me, I'm not a little kid anymore, I can take care of myself_, but after last night I feel they would be empty words. Instead, I say, "I know, that's why I'm going. If I give you a heart attack, I'll be able to move in on the gym."

This time I actually get a chuckle out of Cissy before she hands me a pokéball with an all-too-knowing wink. "For Kabuto." I can only assume it's the same pokéball I've been using for him this entire time now. I can feel my cheeks blush as I take it. "Off with you, now. Go and have a good time."

"Oh, I will!"

Of course, being me, I don't actually leave for another good hour or so, being still in my pajamas and all that. I shower quickly and then pick at some leftover grapefruit as I dress and dry my hair. Then I finish packing away my things and Nurse Joy shows me how to operate the boat. Afterwards, Cissy suggests making a scrapbook of my journey. I really like the idea, so Cissy, Kabuto and I step outside and Joy takes a few pictures of us together. After gluing them to the first page of the book Cissy bought for me and packing the camera, we say another, slightly more emotional goodbye. And finally, I return Kabuto to his pokéball and head out at last.

* * *

My first stop is Tangelo Island, directly to the south of Mikan Island, where trainers in the Orange League register. I realize I have no idea where I'm going even with my map, so Cissy has to point me in the direction of the island as I'm heading out, and suggests I buy a compass. I make a mental note to find one somewhere when I arrive.

The journey to Tangelo is what most people would probably consider uneventful. But for me, it's the first step on my Grand Adventure. There isn't a cloud in the sky and the sun is as bright and warm as ever as I steer my boat across the sea, the wind blowing fiercely through my hair. I shield my eyes from the sun with one hand as I look ahead of me and take in my surroundings: ocean on all sides. I can't help but smile as I smell the salty ocean all around me. I can see a few adventurous water Pokémon leaping out of the water a short distance away, then coming back down with a splash. Off to my left I spot a school of Lapras on a seemingly parallel course to my own. And suddenly, the scale of what I'm really doing hits me all at once. This is it. I'm finally out on my own, living my dream. This is what it feels like to be alive.

I'm distracted by an unusually loud cry just off the side of my boat. The Pokémon calling out appears to be a blue duck with a red gem embedded in its forehead; a Golduck. I smile and wave at the Pokémon, who winks back at me and actually gives me a thumbs up at one point. I can't help but keep my eyes on him as we speed along together. I admit I'm really impressed he's able to keep up with my boat, considering I'm probably pushing the machine to its speed limits.

Then suddenly the Golduck lets out a surprised cry and dives underwater. I look back at him, or where he was a second ago, just in time to see a giant shadow pass underneath the boat. Whatever it was – it looks like a giant wing of some kind – causes a huge stir in the waves beneath the boat, making it really difficult to steer. As I struggle to regain control of my boat, I catch the Lapras in the corner of my eye, sharply turning away from my direction and swimming into the distance. Whatever the sea-bird under me is, it sure scares the wild Pokémon… which, of course, only makes me panic. I fumble for Kabuto's pokéball and nearly drop it as another wave rocks the boat.

The shadow is gone as quickly as it came, though. The waves eventually settle enough for me to regain control of my boat and I slow down considerably, just in case whatever it was decides to come back. I drift along at a Slugma's pace for a good ten minutes or so without any other incident. Just as I'm finally beginning to breathe normally again, a large explosion directly ahead of me catches my attention. I look up sharply to see a towering column of water erupting from the ocean. In addition, surrounding the column of water near the base, I can see the heads of three sea serpents… Gyarados. Seconds later the column of water comes back down into the sea, and the three Gyarados dive underwater after it. It's only then that I notice another boat and what looks like a wooden raft, previously hidden by the water tower.

I kick my own boat into super speed again, and then lean against the side boat as I try to make sense of what I just saw. Lost in thought, I distractedly look ahead and my concentration is broken as I realize that both the other boat and the raft are both gone, and I'm coming up on my destination. I push the Gyarados out of my mind and focus on bringing the boat in for docking, hoping they don't suddenly burst out of the water underneath me.

Thankfully, Tangelo has a large port so there's no shortage of space. Unfortunately, this costs money, of which I'm currently lacking. I have to spend nearly everything I'm currently carrying just to tie up my little motorboat, but I don't really have a choice. Oh well. I'll be winning money in no time, and at least Cissy thought to supply me with some extra fuel, so I won't have to worry about that for a little while.

After asking directions, I manage to find a log cabin on a hill, the Pokémon Center of the island and the location of the Orange League registrations. The Pokémon Center itself is rather beautiful; there's even a pool out back for trainers and Pokémon to relax in. I can't help but wonder why any trainers would use it when there's a beach just a few minutes' walk away from here. I wander over to the nurse on duty, very similar to the one I'd just left on Mikan Island except this one in her work uniform, and request the registration information. She hands me a form and tells me to fill it out and return it to her. As I'm sitting out by the pool filling out the forms, I happen to overhear a few people discussing something about a Gyarados. I pause in my forms and look up at the three teenagers; a blonde boy in red swim trunks, a black-haired boy in a green swimsuit, and a blonde girl in a navy blue bikini.

"Excuse me," I say. "Are you referring to those Gyarados and that giant tower of water just off the coast a half hour ago?"

The teens look at me as if I'm wearing a hockey mask and wielding an ax. I follow the girl's eyes which seem to be looking over me… or at my forehead. Oh yeah, I still have that bandage. I recline a bit more in my chair and cross my legs. The blonde boy finally answers me. "Yes," he says.

Then, the girl: "Did you see the sea monster too?" she asked timidly.

"Sea monster?" I reply. "The Gyarados?"

"No, there was a monster! It attacked my daddy! He sent out his Gyarados to scare it away but then they were stolen!" the girl cried.

"Stolen?" I say stupidly. Something tells me I should leave this alone. So, of course, I have to ask: "Who stole them? How?"

"Daddy says it was the man in the lab coat," she girl replied. "D-do you know him?"

"No," I reply. I try to think but I'm pretty sure I would remember seeing a man in a lab coat. It's not exactly typical clothing for the weather. I hadn't seen any other people on the boat or the raft either, though I wasn't exactly that close…

"Come on Dena," the black-haired boy says, taking the girl by the wrist and pulling her into the Pokémon Center. "You know what dad said about talking to strangers."

The girl called Dena looks back at me sharply… angrily? _Yes, obvious anger there… why? Is she somehow blaming this on me now? Or maybe she's just mad that I'd gotten her to talk and now she's going to be in trouble. That's probably it_, I reason. I roll my eyes and return to my registration forms.

* * *

"You going to take on Drake?" a voice behind me says. Nurse Joy began entering my registration information into her computer while I turn to face the speaker. It was a girl, probably older than me, with pale red hair, a strapless yellow top that clung to her upper body making me blush with jealousy, simple blue jeans, and some kind of golden metallic rings banded around her left upper arm. She had one hand on her hip and the other clutching a pokéball at her side.

"Eventually, yes," I reply.

"How many badges have you gotten so far?" she asks with a smirk.

"None," I reply fiercely. "I'm only just a beginner trainer. But how many do _you_ have then?"

"None," she says. "Since we're both rookies, how about a battle?"

I gaze at her suspiciously. She looks even older than me, and yet she's just starting…? _Well, I guess it's plausible_, I think to myself. _I'm not exactly the youngest person here, either…_

"Let me finish my registration and then we'll go at it," I answer. The girl crosses her arms with a smirk and leans up against the wall while waiting for me to finish my registration.

* * *

Afterwards, the girl and I walk down to the beach. She introduces herself as Heather and tells me she only has one Pokémon. This of course is fine by me, since I only have one as well. We pick a spot a fair distance from any beachgoers but close enough to the shore for our Pokémon to use the water if we need to.

Since we both only have one Pokémon, Heather says it's irrelevant who sends out first and tosses her pokéball out immediately after, releasing her Poliwag. I reach for Kabuto's pokéball, which I keep in the small pocket of my jeans for now, but hesitate before throwing it out, and instead look around the area, suddenly nervous. There are a lot of people around… and then it really hits me how rare Kabuto are and how dangerous it is to be flaunting him this way. Maybe I had made a mistake jumping into this with just Kabuto after all.

Heather and her Poliwag are staring at me impatiently. The little squirt even has the nerve to shoot some bubbles at me. I'm just about to make an excuse and make a run for it, but then I catch her eyes and realize it's too late now. I sigh and throw out Kabuto's ball.

Naturally, Heather seems taken back by my Pokémon choice, but much to my own surprise, she regains her composure pretty quickly, though she still doesn't say anything. I guess she's waiting for me to make the first move, though whether to be polite or sneaky or just because she doesn't know what to expect, I don't know. But honestly, neither do I. Sure, I've had mock battles with Cissy before, but I'm pretty convinced now that they weren't real.

_That wasn't so horrible,_ I think to myself as I look around, realizing my Kabuto is still there in front of me. Heather hasn't jumped at him and no one else seems to have noticed him yet – I'm sure if anyone had they'd at least be over watching the battle. Of course, as soon as I think that, someone comes running up to us loudly, pointing and screaming and just generally drawing attention to us. I begin to panic and raise the ball in my hand to return Kabuto.

"Are we going to battle or not?" Heather asks. Her Poliwag makes a sound as it hops back and forth on its feet, looking ready to pounce. I sigh and lower the ball.

"Aqua Jet," I call, giving in. A torrent of water erupts from underneath my Kabuto, who shoots forward like a bullet. The Poliwag is tossed backwards from the impact, but otherwise appears undamaged.

"Water Gun," Heather orders. Her Poliwag starts sniping at my fleeing fossil, eventually shooting him down, showering me in sand as he crashes. Great, now I have to shower and change _again_.

"Um, Mud Shot!" I order, now just a little bit annoyed. Kabuto gets up and turns around, then obediently fires a glob of mud towards his foe.

"Another Water Gun!" Heather shouts almost immediately. Again the Poliwag sprays a stream of water, this time in one burst, effectively halting Kabuto's attack. I frown as I take in what I know about the situation. So far, Mud Shot is useless and Aqua Jet didn't seem to hurt the Poliwag at all. Meanwhile Poliwag's Water Gun could really do a number on my Kabuto, being half rock-type… though I could turn her own tactic against her with Mud Shot to block that. I really doubt Poliwag's Bubble attack will be much of a threat either. But still, I can't order a close range attack, Kabuto is really too slow for that and then Mud Shot wouldn't be able to deflect any incoming water… And I don't know what else Poliwag can do. I really should have studied more.

Meanwhile, I notice Kabuto seems to be struggling to stand on his tiny claws. I glance over at the Poliwag and curse when I see the swirl pattern on its stomach spinning and I realize I was so focused on my own thoughts that I must have missed Heather's command. I had no idea what it was doing, though I could take a guess.

"Now, Water Gun again!" _Heather_ cries.

"Block it with Mud Shot!" I counter as per my plan. This completely backfires though – for some reason, Kabuto doesn't attack, he simply takes the water blast and is thrown aside. It's only when his red eyes light up that I realize they'd been closed – he'd been asleep. Which means the Poliwag must have used Hypnosis.

I also realized too late that I could see Kabuto's eyes… which means he was flat on his back, flailing to right himself. Heather orders yet another Water Gun as I struggle to think of some way to help Kabuto flip over but it's too late. He looks really worn out after that last attack, but at least it flipped him back onto his feet.

I try to order another Aqua Jet but am met with the same results as before. _It's almost as if it's absorbing the water_, I think to myself. _Oh, wait!_

"Use Absorb!" I bellow. Heather looks up at me in surprise. I guess she wasn't expecting a grass-type attack from Kabuto. Thankfully, she seems too stunned to order a counter attack as Kabuto begins draining energy from the Poliwag with short bursts of green light. The water-type quickly wears down and, much to my relief, Kabuto looks a bit better as he continues draining energy. The Poliwag finally gets him to stop by shooting more water at him, but by then it's too late. Kabuto is looking much less tired and the Poliwag is barely standing.

And that's when I made my fatal mistake.

I caught Heather's laugh far too late after I call the final Aqua Jet, figuring by now the power behind it will be enough to win. Kabuto successfully lands the attack but just like the first two times, the Poliwag is only knocked over and actually gets back up looking healthier than it had beforehand.

"Wait, what the –" I choke out before I'm cut off. Heather's Poliwag shoots out a final blast of water into my fleeing Kabuto and again he crashes to the sand, showering me and just about everyone around me in it – which, much to my horror, now looks like the entire population of the island. I hadn't even noticed the ring of people come up and surround us, all to watch my Kabuto.

And we'd gotten completely thrashed.

I literally dive at my unconscious Kabuto before anyone else could try to, and pet his shell absentmindedly. Heather likewise pats her Poliwag before scooping him up and walking up towards me. "Good game," she says.

"You too," I manage to reply, though my eyes are too busy watching the crowd around us.

"I thought you'd had it won when you ordered that Absorb," Heather confesses. "I'm going to guess you didn't know about my Poliwag's Water Absorb."

No, I had not. That explained why Aqua Jet was worthless. What a stupid mistake…

"Where did you get a Kabuto, anyway?" Heather asks when I don't answer. I notice several people in the crowd step up and offer their interest as well.

"He crawled up onto the beach in my backyard," I answer with a shrug, wishing I had something – anything – else to talk about. I return my Kabuto to his pokéball, whispering "I'm sorry…" I could swear I see the red of Kabuto's eye before he vanishes, but then again maybe it was just the light of the pokéball.

The crowd begins to leave once Kabuto is no longer in sight and I breathe a sigh of relief. Heather offers me her hand and helps me to my feet and says, "Let's go get him healed."

We slip down a side street about halfway back to the Pokémon Center making small talk. I tell Heather about my scrapbook and decide to get a picture of her, my first ever trainer opponent, despite my loss. I make to pull out my camera, but decide we should wait until we leave the alley where the light is better when I realize our mistake. Too late, of course. A man steps out from the shadows in front of us, blocking the path. I gasp, but even before I turn around I know in my gut what I'm going to see, and am only mildly surprised when I notice two more men blocking off our exit that way instead of one. The one in our path forwards pulls my attention back to him with his voice.

"A Kabuto, eh?"

* * *

**A/N: Not much really to say again other than I have a lot of free time and have been filling it both with reading fanfiction and as a result of that, writing more of my own. So yeah... two chapters in just over a month (three if you count my other story's latest). ...I really need to pick up on that.**

**So, I'm still working on the backbone of this story. I have the core plot, of course, but there's room for filler. So, tell me, what is something you'd like to see in a Pokemon fanfiction? Feel free to toss me some ideas (not characters right now, though I may end up allowing those at some point down the line too) and if I like them I'll see if I can work them in somewhere.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and thanks as always to my reviewers. **


	4. Chapter 3 - Unforgiving

**Ch. 3 - Unforgiving**

Heather has her poliwag out before I can even fully comprehend what's happening. My eyes are focused on the man in front of us. I can't really see him well in the dark alley, other than his greenish hair that sticks up all over the place, and his skin seems to be much lighter than the two men who block our backs. My first thought is grunts from one of those evil teams, but something in my gut tells me these guys are nothing more than street thugs, mostly since there have been no reports of criminal organization activity in the Islands in years. At least not publically. Maybe they're part of some sort of local gang or something.

Not that it really matters who they are at the moment.

My hands shoot down to my belt and I clutch Kabuto's pokéball in my hand protectively. I don't know what Heather is thinking her poliwag is going to accomplish against three opponents. More than three really, I realize as the first man laughs at Heather and drops his own pokéball to the ground, illuminating the area briefly in white light and allowing me to catch a glimpse of his orange shirt. But what really draws my eye is the knife he's wielding that gleams in the momentary light. I barely have time to panic and start hyperventilating before the hitmonchan fully materializes and blocks the knife from my view.

"Oh please," he says. "Look boys, the little girls think they can fight us!" I hear the other two laugh hollow laughs behind us. "We don't want to harm you lovely ladies, so why don't you just hand over the rare Pokémon and we'll leave you alone. We only want the kabuto; we'll even let you keep the other one."

I turn to Heather and give her a look of desperation, basically pleading with her to save Kabuto somehow, but she's not paying me any attention. I can't make out the expression on her face in this poor light, but I can see enough to tell that she's staring at the man in front of us. I honestly can't imagine what she plans to do even as I beg her to do it. Kabuto is (almost) out cold from our earlier battle, and her poliwag is pretty worn out too. Even if this were a one-on-one fight, it wouldn't be fair. I voice my concerns to her, my voice high-pitched and cracking every other word in fear.

"If you have any better ideas, go ahead and do something," she shrieks, surprisingly calmly. I admit, I can't think of any other way out of this. Or any way at all, really. There's no chance of realistically being able to fight our way out. And what are the odds someone else is going to happen upon this alley?

_Unless we give them a reason to_, I suddenly realize. That gives me an idea. Clutching Kabuto's pokéball tighter to my chest, I take a deep breath, and then let out the loudest, most earsplitting scream I can muster.

All three men, the hitmonchan, and Heather shove their palms into their ears as my voice echoes through the alley. Even her poliwag winces at the unexpected noise. I keep screaming as long as I can before I have to stop to take a breath. Then, just as the men start to advance, I scream again.

Okay, so it's not the most mature, heroic solution. But at this point, I really don't care if I sound like a banshee. I just hope at least it will draw some attention our way. Before I can even complete that thought, though, a sharp pain jolts through my cheek and I'm thrown hard onto the ground. I put a hand to my face and move my aching jaw as Heather screams my name, and I hear her screeches from both Pokémon. The hitmonchan backs off as Heather's poliwag lets loose some bubbles into his eyes, while Heather helps me to my feet. It's only when I actually see the hitmonchan punch the poliwag clear out of the alley behind us that I realize he must have punched me, while Heather cries for her Pokémon.

The two men behind us have released Pokémon by this point as well. I have no idea when, but I notice as I watch the poliwag soar into the distance that there's also a hitmonlee and a hitmontop standing there, waiting to pounce. How typical.

Next thing I know, the hitmonchan is screaming himself. Heather and I turn back and see yet another new Pokémon in the area. This one, though, seems to be on our side; it's latched onto the hitmonchan's face, slashing and clawing at it. I feel a slight sprinkle of something on my own face and realize that the new Pokémon must be drawing blood and sending drops of it flying all over. The hitmonchan desperately tries to pry the small Pokémon off with little success, thanks in part to his hands still being in boxing gloves. I scream again as both the hitmonlee and hitmontop push me and Heather into the wall and run passed us, stopping short in front of their accomplice, seemingly unsure of how to help. The men, I notice, are completely silent and unmoving, though I do catch a glimpse of the knife still hanging loosely in the one guy's hand.

Suddenly the alley lights up red and the hitmonchan is called back into his pokéball. The new Pokémon falls to the floor, its perch gone, and I realize it's a meowth. Furthermore, I notice a green ribbon tied in a bow around the Pokémon's tail, much like the one currently holding my hair back. I feel my mouth fall open, mostly due to the pain from hitmonchan's punch.

"Oh no," I stagger. "I know that meowth."

Heather only barely registers my statement; I can see her looking back towards where her poliwag landed somewhere back on the beach, looking ready to burst through the two other men guarding our original entrance.

"What are you doing now?" comes another male voice from outside the alley. I gasp again; I know that voice too, but I haven't heard it in years. Heather spins around so fast I swear I hear her neck crack. "Get out here and leave them alone," the male voice demands.

"Yes, boss!" the man with the knife whimpers, practically throwing the blade on the ground before backing out of the alley. His two lackeys behind us recall their Pokémon and inch passed Heather and me quickly, not even sparing us a glance. Heather grabs my arm and tries to pull me in the other direction, where I see a couple other people heading towards us, but I force my arm out of her grip.

"What are you _doing_?" she demands.

"Go get Poliwag," I answer. "I know that voice."

"Are you crazy? Now is our perfect chance to-"

"Just go, I'll be okay," I say. Even as I do, the meowth rubs against my legs affectionately and purrs in acknowledgement. I can't help but grin at him as I begin to walk out the far side of the alley, the cat behind me. I don't hear Heather's footsteps; I guess she's torn between checking on her poliwag and making sure I'm not going to be attacked again. Part of me wishes she would follow me. Half of my heart can't wait to see if I'm right, but the other, glued-together half is telling me to just go with her and ignore the voice completely. Unfortunately, oddly enough, my lust is stronger than my rage at the moment. On a whim and without really registering what I'm doing, I reach down and pick up the knife as I pass it.

"What the…? Move," I hear the new male voice say. "Go back to base." There's some hasty apologizing and shuffling feet around the corner. There's no mistaking that voice in my mind now, though. I step around the corner. Immediately my face floods with color as my suspicions are confirmed. And I admit, while I knew it was him since the first time he spoke, it's still no more of a shock to see him here now.

"Hi, Blake," I say shyly.

"Rhonda? Is that you? What… what are _you_ doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Blake staggers for a moment as if considering how to reply. "Research. I heard a scream so I came to see what my associates were doing," Blake says, waving a hand over the three thugs I see speeding off into the distance.

I run my eyes over Blake greedily for a moment, completely uninterested in his associates. "Aren't you hot?" He's standing there in the humid air wearing a long, open, white lab coat over a red t-shirt and beige khakis complete with sandals. I'm here sweating bullets in my short pink tank top, though that could just be from the near mugging and now nervousness. I only just take notice of my heartbeat beginning to slow, previously completely oblivious to it's faster pace.

"You tell me," he says in reply, striking a pose and running a hand through his short, spiky blonde hair, taking my question as a statement. He looks just as young as he did the last time I saw him, though I know he's in his mid-twenties by now… okay, that isn't _that_ old, but still. My face heats up even more and I realize I must look like a tomato with how fiercely I'm blushing, and my heart rate skyrockets again.

"I-I meant-"

"I know what you meant," Blake interrupts, turning serious again. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"Not physically," I answer.

"Your face-"

"It's the hitmonchan's blood." Blake's meowth purrs in agreement and holds up a paw, his foe's blood dropping from his claws.

"And the bandage?"

Oh. Right. I keep forgetting about that stupid thing. "Just hit my head yesterday. It'll be fine."

"Hah, good job, Preston," Blake says, recalling his meowth as the cat begins to scratch at his legs to get attention. I guess he took note of his cat's decoration, because he turns to look me in the eye and says, "You kept the ribbon."

"Um… yeah…" I reply awkwardly, looking down at my feet with my hands clasped together behind my back like a little girl. What am I supposed to say to the guy? He knows how I felt about him. It hasn't changed since he dumped me.

"Why?"

"..." _Really? Is he still that dumb?_ I wonder.

Thankfully, Heather chooses that moment to rush out of the alley, Poliwag in her arms looking barely conscious, and plows herself in between Blake and me.

"Back off, creeper, or Poliwag will make sure you never see again!"

"Heather, wait!" I cry as Blake steps backwards, his hands up in surrender, while she holds her poliwag inches from Blake's blue eyes. Heather rounds on me, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Wait for what?" she demands.

"He's my ex," I reply simply.

Heather turns back towards Blake. "All the more reason for him to leave," she says with a smirk.

"Why don't we all go have some lunch and talk about this, shall we?" Blake suggests, still backing away from a now advancing Heather. I step forward and put a hand on her shoulder. She stops, shooting me another dirty look.

"O-Okay," I reply to Blake without sparing Heather another thought. "But you're buying."

* * *

Heather and I leave Poliwag and Kabuto with the nurse on duty. Blake suggests going down to the cafeteria, just him and I. I insist Heather joins us; she insists on making Blake pay rather than eat the free food supplied at the center and instead go to a diner a few blocks away. I can't tell if she blames him for the whole near-mugging thing or if she's for some reason mad because Blake is my ex, but I don't complain. Blake doesn't look too happy that Heather is sticking around, but agrees politely anyway.

Heather sits next to me, trapping me in our booth while Blake, still in his lab coat, sits across from the two of us. We order our meals and as soon as the waitress steps away, Heather begins her interrogation.

"Alright, so what's the deal with you two? Ex, you said?"

"Yeah," I reply.

"Who dumped who?"

I don't know why I feel the need to reveal the details of my love life to this virtual stranger, but I find myself answering her anyway. "He dumped me." I glance up at Blake uncomfortably and feel rage boiling inside me almost immediately. He's sitting there watching us with amusement, not even slightly bothered by the pain he knows he caused me. I want to reach over the table and strangle him.

"Why?" Heather asks.

I answer her, this time only to spite Blake more than anything else. "He didn't think my undivided devotion for five years and a year of engagement was as important as his lab assistant," I say resentfully, glaring at him. Heather looks at me curiously and waits for me to elaborate. Blake continues staring as though he were a child being told a new bedtime story. I groan in fury, trying my best to control my sudden rage. It was bad enough I had to see him again after all this time (and as much as I hate to admit it, I did enjoy seeing him too), bad enough having to remember this whole mess, but now I'm going to have to actually retell it, too…?

"It's a long story, but it's really pretty simple," I explain without taking my eyes off him. "We were dating for five years. He was studying to be a researcher at the time. Top grades in his university classes. Total nerd and all. I loved it. He ended up getting a call from Professor Oak to work as an assistant in his lab, because apparently he doesn't have a very large staff for who knows why."

"My job was to compare the differences between Kanto-native Pokémon and their counterparts that live out here in the Orange Islands," Blake cuts in. My eyes narrow as I dare him to cut me off again. He shuts his mouth, though he still looks like an amused child.

"Anyway, I _was_ really proud of him, but it meant he had to leave for the mainland of Kanto to work in Oak's lab for a year before coming back here to do the field work he wanted to do. Mostly because Oak doesn't need any more field researchers, just assistance at home base. But he was on a whole other level of nerd so he got his dream job anyway. He proposed to me the day before he left as his way of promising to come back for me. I said yes. He goes off for a year, and keeps raving about this girl he's working with. Next thing I know, a year has passed and he comes back home with that girl on his arm and a bun in the oven."

"A baby?!" Heather exclaims.

"Yep. Told me he was sorry but he had a family to look out for and it was over between us, and that was the last I heard from him. Sent him countless letters, phone calls, texts… all crying for him to come back and heard nothing in reply save for a single 'I'm sorry' a month later. Next thing I know, he's saving our asses in that alley."

The waitress comes up at that point with our drinks, giving the three of us a weird look but otherwise not commenting, though it was obvious she had either been listening or simply overheard my last statement as she approached.

"If it makes you feel any better," Blake interrupts again as she leaves and Heather turns to him, looking ready to tear him a new one. "She never ended up having the kid… and she left me after she found out she wasn't going to. She didn't know about you until we got home and ran into you and you ruined that for me. Turns out she only stayed with me after that because of the kid. When she found out she didn't need to worry about him growing up without a father, she kicked me to the curb."

"Good," I spat. "Ruined it for you? What about all the shit you put me through?"

"Look, I… I really am sorry about what I've done to you," Blake says. Heather huffs in defiance, and I cross my arms while I continue glaring. Part of me wants to believe him, I really do, but he wasn't the one who spent months locked in their bedroom crying until they dehydrated. Still, part of me never stopped loving him… and that part is what keeps me listening.

"I know words can never really express it," he continues. "But I really am sorry. I wanted to come back to you the moment she threw me away but I was too ashamed. But now that I've found you again, maybe you can find it in you to give me another chance?"

"What, so she was your fall-back plan?" Heather barks. "How can she trust you? And why should she?"

Blake glares at her in frustration. "This is a personal matter that doesn't concern you. If she didn't insist on you coming along, I'd have left you in that alley."

"Enough," I say with as much force as I can. "Heather, I appreciate your concern, really, but this is between us. I don't want you to leave, but… we can talk about this later. And Blake, Heather is right. …How can I ever trust you again?"

Neither of them answers me. I look between them both crossly, but I feel my resolve fading and sink a little in my seat. A few tense, awkward minutes pass until our waitress comes by with Heather's and my meals. Blake's is apparently still cooking. Blake finally answers when she leaves.

"Maybe I can build up that trust again, if you give me a chance."

I intend to throw it back in his face, saying something like "After what you put me through, I'll never be able to trust you the same way again." Instead, the words that come out of my mouth are, "Yeah, maybe. I don't know."

Heather makes a show of rolling her eyes at me, but keeps silent as she digs into her food. Blake begins to make small talk, asking about what I've been up to since we last met. I grudgingly tell him about my recent past, and how I just started my Grand Adventure. He laughs at the nickname I've come up with for my journey and I blush in embarrassment. I demand to know what he's been doing instead, just for a change of subject.

"Oh, I've been continuing my field research for professor Oak," he says. "That is, until recently. I'm still doing that," he adds quickly, noticing my confused expression. "But lately I've been really interested in lugia, as well as the festival on Shamouti Island and the legends there."

This catches my attention more than anything else since first meeting Blake again in the alley, so much so that I forget to exaggerate my display of anger. "Have you seen a lugia? What does it look like again?"

In reply, Blake pulls out a small sketchbook from one of his coat's pockets and flips it a few pages before handing it to me. "That's a lugia," he says. "I drew that one myself to keep a picture on me so I don't have to carry around a huge book or buy an expensive pokédex. I haven't seen one, but they're rumored to live in the seas around Shamouti, and sometimes venture around the entire island chain."

The question of why he didn't just get a pokédex from professor Oak for his research is pushed far to the back of my mind as I focus intently on the drawing of the bird-like lugia. "I think I've seen one," I say.

Heather chokes on her soda and turns to me, while Blake slams his palms on the table and asks, "What? When? _Where_?"

"Be quiet!" I demand in a hushed whisper, looking around and noticing several other people at other tables looking in our direction. "On the way here, actually, sometime this morning. It passed under my boat as I was crossing the sea from Mikan Island. Or, well, I saw what looked like a giant wing. It kinda looks like this picture."

I look up as I pass Blake his sketchbook back just in time to see him cover up something on his face. I think it looks like horror, though I can't imagine why. I put it up to him being afraid that I could possibly have been so close to a legendary Pokémon. Not that that makes much sense either; it didn't attack me, nor do I even know for sure what it was.

Blake takes his sketchbook back just as the waitress returns for a fourth time with his meal. She shoots me one last worrying look before scurrying off again. This time I follow her with my eyes as she runs off. Heather catches my eye as the woman escapes my vision and I look back towards the table.

"What?" I demand.

"You still have blood dried on your face and shirt," Heather comments casually.

"Oh, damn!" I cry, practically shoving her out of her seat and sprint to the bathroom to clean my face. …Not much I can do about my shirt right now, though. Oh well.

I turn the spotlight on Heather when I return, ignoring Blake's enthusiasm about lugia, instead eager to include my new friend after realizing I'd been practically ignoring her since Blake showed up. She's surprisingly hesitant to speak, even after I point out that I'd just spilled some juicy personal details from my own life, telling us nothing more than she's a beginner trainer who's tried twice to start a journey and gave up each time for reasons she didn't want to talk about, with a grand total of one Pokémon and no badges to show for her efforts. I'm too frustrated to press her about it, deciding I wasn't going to force her into it. She looks embarrassed enough telling us this is her third attempt and that's why she's so old for a beginner, and I decide that's punishment enough for being so harsh on Blake. Though I don't know why I suddenly feel so bad for him, either…

* * *

After lunch, Blake follows Heather and me back to the Pokémon Center. We both pick up our Pokémon, the nurse saying they're healthy but should rest for the rest of the day. Heather and I decide to stay for a night and get started tomorrow on training and traveling, and she coaxes me into rooming with her. She makes for the lobby as soon as she's handed the key, but Blake clears his throat and asks me to stay back for a private word.

Heather immediately protests but I assure her there's no reason to worry. We're in a public, crowded Pokémon Center now, not a deserted dark alley, and it's not like Blake is going to hurt me anyway. Well, physically, at least. Heather rolls her eyes and retreats to our room. I turn back to my ex and he motions for me to follow him deeper into the building.

Blake leads me to the Pokémon Center's trade machine. He ignores my inquiries as to what exactly we're doing here. I immediately realize I never actually told Blake what my starting Pokémon had been, and decide on the spot not to mention it. Instead I tell him I only have one Pokémon and make it perfectly clear that I'm not trading him for anything.

"I'm not asking you to," Blake says, but then goes silent. He looks around the room for a good minute, though we're the only two in here so I can't imagine what he's searching for. He then pulls out two pokéballs from his lab coat – one a standard red and white one, the other a strange pokéball I've never seen before. It was black, with a purple ring around it instead of the usual black ring dividing the two halves, and two further purple lines across the top dividing it into quarters. The center button was red, surrounded by yellow, and looked disturbingly like an eye.

Blake ignores me when I ask what kind of pokéball it is, and further ignores when I ask what he's doing. He places both pokéballs into the slots in the trade machine, pushes a few buttons, and the pokéballs get sucked up into the machine as if doing a trade; the screen that shows the Pokémon's silhouette, however, only shows one go by, and I realize he must be transferring the Pokémon inside one of the pokéballs to the other one. I'm so busy being confused by this whole process that I don't even register what Pokémon is being transferred.

When the machine is done and spits out both pokéballs on the opposite side from where they were sucked in, Blake picks up the black and purple ball first, looking around the room again and stuffing it into his pocket before picking up the normal ball and holding it out to me.

"This is for you," he finally says. "Please take it as… as an apology. Take it as a fresh start for our relationship."

"Calling anything between us a relationship is a little rash at this point," I say. "Either way, I can't accept this."

"Why not?" he asks. Before I can tell him exactly why, he continues. "Please just take him. He's strong and will be able to protect you. Take him for yourself, if not for my peace of mind."

I sigh and take the ball from him. He grins idiotically and I groan.

"Why are you so concerned for me now? Honestly. After what you did to me, after all the time in between that you were silent, why are you suddenly so eager to fix things?"

Blake doesn't answer right away. He simply stares into my eyes and I have to look away as I feel myself blushing again. No, this time I'm determined to get him to talk. Unfortunately, when he does, it isn't the answer I want and he's already standing by the room's exit.

"His name's Kingsley."

"Blake Aricanli, don't you dare walk out that door!"

That stops him. Whether due to the tone of my voice or the fact that I remembered his last name, I don't know, nor do I really care at this point. He turns back to me, half out the door, looking like a child about to be scolded. I laugh inwardly at the thought then force my serious face back on.

"You answer my question, right now."

"Because everything I said was the truth," he says, sounding genuinely sad. Part of me says not to buy it… but that part hasn't been in control all day, anyway. "I really am sorry, and I really do hope you'll give me another chance. You know where to find me."

And with that, he turns around and leaves. My first thought is to take off after him, because in reality I have no idea where to find him. Instead I stare after him stupidly for a moment, just standing there watching the door. After a minute or two, I look down to the pokéball in my hand. Down near the bottom is a string of numbers. Blake's phone number, I assume. When he wrote it there, I'll never know. The only time we'd been out of each other's sight long enough was when I'd went to the bathroom at the diner to clean my face, so either he had done it then or… or he knew he'd be seeing me today and planned this whole thing.

What a stupid thought. I push it out of my mind and head up to my room.

* * *

"What a weirdo," Heather comments. "I didn't see him doing anything with a pokéball while you were gone, no. Don't tell me you're seriously entertaining the idea of getting back together with that dirtbag!"

"I don't know," I confess, rolling the ball in my palm. "He was the first and only real lover I've ever had… and I never really have gotten over him. It's… it's why I still use his hair ribbon."

"This thing?" Heather utters as she pulls the green cloth from my head, undoing my ponytail and causing my light brown hair to fall in waves down my back.

"Hey!" I cry, placing the pokéball with the knife and my camera on the nightstand next to my bed and try to swipe it back.

"Look, you'll never get over him if you keep mementos around," Heather reprimands.

I look down at my feet, giving up trying to steal my ribbon back for fear of tearing it. "I know… but I think it's too late now."

"No it's not!" Heather cries. She throws my ribbon back at me and I snatch it out of the air, stuffing it into my bikini top and out of her reach. She sighs and picks up my new pokéball instead. "So what is this, anyway?"

"No idea," I declare. "All I know is its named Kingsley."

"Well then, let's find out," Heather says. She drops the ball, completely overlooking the fact that for all we know it could contain a wailord that was about to squash us and the rest of the Center when it emerges, and immediately I begin to panic and shout this at her, flailing my arms madly in some mad attempt to push the light back into the pokéball. Of course, I don't think it was a wailord I saw on the trade machine's screen anyway, but who really knows, I wasn't paying attention to it properly at the time.

Though after seeing what it is that comes out, I find myself wishing it were a wailord instead. I shriek and bound onto my feet on the bed, trying to scamper as far as I can from the huge claws of the reddish-orange crab that stood in front of us.

Heather just laughs. "Kingsley the kingler. Classy."

* * *

**A/N: Bit of filler here but it's setup too. Kinda drama-filled, not sure if I like it or not, but we'll see where it goes.**

**As usual, thanks to anyone who's actually reading.**


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